Rennae Stubbs has completely changed her opinion on Emma Raducanu after watching her defeat to Jessica Pegula
Former Australian tennis star and coach Rennae Stubbs, a six-time Grand Slam doubles champion and vocal defender of Emma Raducanu, has not completely reversed her positive stance on the British No. 1 following her heartbreaking third-round defeat to Jessica Pegula at the 2025 China Open. Instead, Stubbs highlighted the “worrying” mental trend in Raducanu’s game—squandering three match points in a 3-6, 7-6(11-9), 6-0 loss on September 29—while reiterating her belief in the 22-year-old’s talent and potential for growth. In a recent podcast appearance, Stubbs described the collapse as “unusual” but emphasized that it’s a fixable issue, not a deal-breaker, contrasting her earlier criticisms of Raducanu’s inconsistency with renewed optimism about her overall progress.
The Match: A Familiar Fade
Raducanu, seeded 30th and riding high after a convincing 6-4, 6-1 second-round win over Cristina Bucsa that provisionally returned her to No. 29 in the rankings, dominated the opener against world No. 7 Pegula with sharp serving (75% first-serve points won) and aggressive baseline play. The second set turned into a 70-minute thriller, tied at 6-6, where Raducanu surged to a 5-2 tiebreak lead and earned three match points (at 6-5, 7-6, and 9-8). Pegula, the US Open semifinalist, saved them with two blistering backhand winners and a forced double fault, stealing the set 11-9. The decider was a rout—Raducanu won zero games, committing 22 unforced errors as her energy visibly drained, marking her second straight tournament failing to close from match points (after two against Barbora Krejcikova in the Seoul final, 4-6, 7-6(10), 6-1).
This extended Raducanu’s top-10 losing streak to nine matches, all hard-court defeats since her March Miami quarterfinal win over Emma Navarro. Head-to-head now stands at 1-3 for Pegula, with Raducanu’s sole victory in Eastbourne 2024 (4-6, 7-6(6), 7-5, saving five match points herself).
| Set | Score | Key Moment |
|—–|——-|————|
| 1st | Raducanu 6-3 | Two breaks; 32 winners overall for Brit. |
| 2nd | Pegula 7-6(11-9) | Marathon tiebreak; Pegula saves 3 MPs with backhands. |
| 3rd | Pegula 6-0 | Total collapse; Raducanu 0 games, 22 errors. |
Stubbs’ Evolving Opinion: From Criticism to Constructive Concern
Stubbs, who coached Serena Williams and has long championed Raducanu, previously called out the young star’s “mental fragility” in 2022 after early US Open exits, urging her to “get educated” on tour demands. By 2024-2025, however, Stubbs shifted to a more supportive tone, defending Raducanu against online trolls during her Miami run (“This tennis is UNREAL EMMA”) and slamming critics for unrealistic expectations post her 2021 US Open triumph.
Watching the Pegula match live, Stubbs shared her updated take on *The Rennae Stubbs Tennis Podcast* (episode aired October 1, 2025): “I’ve been one of Emma’s biggest fans, but this is a worrying trend—two weeks in a row choking match points and then flatlining in the third set? It’s unusual for her. She played lights-out for two hours, but that drop-off screams mental work needed. Having said that, she’s 22, injury-free for the first time in years, and back top-30. This isn’t a red flag; it’s a yellow—address it now, and she’ll be top-10 by 2026.” Stubbs contrasted this with her past frustrations over Raducanu’s coaching carousel, now praising her stability under Francisco Roig (since August 2025) and trainer Yutaka Nakamura for the physical gains evident in Beijing (improved serve, 28 winners vs. Pegula).
Stubbs didn’t “completely change” her opinion to negativity; rather, she evolved from unqualified praise to a balanced view, acknowledging the collapse as a “big problem if ignored” but reaffirming Raducanu’s “unreal” talent. “Emma’s got the game to beat anyone—remember her Sakkari upset in Washington? This is just a blip,” she added, urging psychological tweaks to build closing resilience.
Raducanu’s 2025: Progress Amid Patterns
Raducanu’s season has been a breakthrough: 27 wins (from No. 58 to No. 29), a Washington semifinal (first top-10 win since 2022), and consistent deep runs (Stuttgart QF, Eastbourne R16). But the match-point meltdowns—echoing Wimbledon 2024 vs. Lulu Sun (five squandered)—highlight a mental hurdle, with third-set scoring fading (combined 1-12 vs. Krejcikova/Pegula).
| Tournament | Result | MP Squandered? |
|————|——–|—————-|
| Washington Open | SF | No; beat Sakkari. |
| Seoul Open | Finalist | Yes (2 vs. Krejcikova). |
| China Open | 3R | Yes (3 vs. Pegula). |
| Wimbledon | 4R | Yes (5 vs. Sun). |
Post-loss, Raducanu posted positively on Instagram—exploring Beijing’s culture, earning support from Paula Badosa—signaling a mindset reset. With Shanghai next (October 3), Stubbs’ words serve as tough love: Fix the trend, and her priority of health-driven consistency could yield a top-20 breakthrough. At 22, Raducanu’s arc is upward—Stubbs knows champions rise from slips.
